Shaken (original 2010; edition 2011)

From Barnes & Noble
When ex-girlfriend Terese Collins pops back into Myron Bolitar's life, the least of his problems is reliving their brief fling. Instead, he is confronted with a bizarre story about Terese's pregnancy, marriage, divorce, and a planned meeting in Paris that ends with murder. Before he can say "déjà vu," he and Terese are running frantically, trying to keep a half step ahead of Homeland Security while simultaneously piecing together the bloody puzzle.
Crime-stopper extraordinaire Myron Bolitar returns in this rousing thriller by bestseller Coben. This time around, Bolitar heads to Paris to heed the distress call from his former lover, Terese Collins, whom he hasn't seen in more than 10 years. She has since lived out her dream of marrying and starting a family, but her perfect life has been shattered, and Bolitar must pick up the pieces. Steven Weber gives an inspired, well-crafted reading that elevates Bolitar from flat, one-dimensionality to a flawed and fully believable character. Weber's other characterizations are equally original; he is interested and invested in the story from the get-go. A Dutton hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 2). (May)

great fast paced reading. ( )

Jackie "Jack" Daniels had spent much of her career chasing and putting away criminals. Now, as a private detective, she is abducted and about to be tortured to death by one of the killers that she chased for years.

There were occasions when Jackie was close to catching the killer, "Mr. K" but he slipped through her fingers.

The story goes through the time when she first became an undercover cop in order to catch a serial killer.
Next there is a segment of the action three years ago when Jack and her partner were following the person suspected of being My K, but they couldn't get enough to have a search warrant.
The last segment concerns her abduction. How will she escape?

The ending was unrealistic and highly unsatisfying. Deus ex machina is defined as a plot technique where a seemingly inextricable problem is solved with a contrived and unexpected intervention of some new character. This is never acceptable in literature.

The author has written enjoyable novels in the past but "Shaken" is a disappointment. ( )

Review to come... ( )

Very violent. The book moves quickly by telling the story in retrospect, but the story and detective work are thin. ( )